PhotoActive

Episode 108: Masking in Lightroom

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The new masking features in Adobe Lightroom and Lightroom Classic make it much easier to apply selective edits to areas such as skies or subjects, wit...

Episode 107: Simulated vs. Optical Background Blur

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You shot a lovely portrait and realized later that the background could benefit from some artistic blur. It used to be that if you didn’t get it in ...

Episode 106: PhotoActive 2021 Gift Guide

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When they set out to produce a gift guide—the first one in three years—Kirk and Jeff chose items that really reflect how they approach photography...

Episode 105: Aaron Hockley and Computational Photography

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational photography…whichever term you use, the technologies are here and touching almost every par...

Episode 104: The Leica Episode

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The day has arrived: Kirk finally purchased his dream camera, the Leica Q2 Monochrom. Why would someone pay for a camera that shoots only in black and...

Episode 103: Posing People with Lindsay Adler

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Does the thought of posing people for portraits make you nervous? Our guest this week is fashion and portrait photographer Lindsay Adler, whose book T...

Episode 102: The iPhone 13 Pro Cameras

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s Apple’s best iPhone ever! Well, yes, they say that every year, but this time around the camera improvements are more exciting than in the pas...

Episode 101: Practicing Photography with Ben Long

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to really practice your craft? In this episode we welcome back photographer and educator Ben Long to PhotoActive to talk about his w...

Episode 100: One Hundred

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the very early days of the PhotoActive podcast, when Jeff was a nervous first-time podcast host, Kirk said to him, “It’s OK. Once you do a hund...

Episode 99: Photo Storage

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Where are your photos stored? Internal disks, external drives, network-attached storage? In this episode, Kirk and Jeff talk about strategies for wher...

Episode 98: Camera Accoutrements

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are all sorts of camera accessories out there, but for this episode, Kirk and Jeff challenged themselves to consider only add-ons that stay affi...

Episode 97: William Neill's Landscape

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

William Neill’s photographic career began in the Ansel Adams Gallery and continues as a long-time resident near Yosemite, leading one-on-one tours a...

Episode 96: Photographing Kids

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’d bet that a sizable portion of the DSLR or mirrorless camera market wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for parents wanting to take photos of their...

Episode 95: Lens Filters Are Cool

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re talking filters in this episode—not the kind you apply in Instagram to make your photos look different, but actual glass filters that change...

Episode 94: All About SD Cards

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You can shoot the most amazing photos using the best gear you can afford, but it doesn’t mean anything if the pixels you capture aren’t saved to a...

Episode 93: P Is for Professional

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you capture photos using your camera’s automatic modes, or do you shoot using manual settings? Jeff and Kirk debate both approaches, looking at s...

Episode 92: Sensors and Megapixels with Richard Butler

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Camera marketing often leans heavily on sensor size and numbers of megapixels, because those are numbers that are easy to sell. But are they easy to u...

Episode 91: iOS Editing Workflows

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 87, we explored Kirk’s workflow for importing and editing images into Apple’s Photos app. Now, we revisit the topic by focusing on how ...

Episode 90: Bryan William Jones on How We See

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Retinal neuroscientist Bryan William Jones joins us this week for a fascinating discussion about how our eyes, brains, and technology work together to...

Episode 89: Buttons and Knobs

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The experience of using a camera is just as important as what you put in front of the lens. If the controls are complicated — or too minimal — yo...

Episode 88: That Was the Year that Was

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How has the past pandemic year affected or changed your photography? Kirk and Jeff discuss not just cancelled trips and lost opportunities, but also t...

Episode 87: Apple Photos Workflow on Mac

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Apple’s Photos app is the photo-editor-for-the-rest-of-us, but there are still complications that can trip up any photographer, from deciding where ...

Episode 86: Jordan Drake on Shooting Video

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Your camera likely records video, but if you've never used it, you may be in for a surprise. DPReview TV co-host Jordan Drake joins us to talk about h...

Episode 85: Film Camera Love with Dan Bracaglia

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Bracaglia of DPReview joins us to talk about his love of film cameras, how to get started with film in this day and age, and the enduring appeal o...

Episode 84: Editing Shadows and Highlights

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We often talk about "bringing up the shadows" and "recovering highlights" when editing photos, particularly with raw files. But what does that mean ex...

Episode 83: Raw and ProRaw on the iPhone

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is Apple’s new raw photo implementation ProRAW or FauxRAW? In this episode, we look at why you’d want to shoot raw on an iPhone in the first place...

Episode 82: Quintin Lake Returns

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When we last checked in with Quintin Lake, he was walking the coastline of the United Kingdom and photographing what he found. In September 2020 he fi...

Episode 81: The iPhone 12 Pro Cameras

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As with every new iPhone release, Apple touts the camera capabilities more than any of the other features. Jeff upgraded to the iPhone 12 Pro right aw...

Episode 80: Street Photography with Valérie Jardin

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Street photography looks easy: grab a camera, find some people, make some photos. Doing it well is another thing altogether. Photographer, educator, a...

Episode 79: Professional Retouching with Lisa Carney

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In Episode 78, we talked about everyday photo retouching, such as removing dust spots and objects from your images. Now, we’re shifting to the big l...

Episode 78: Everyday Photo Retouching

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You may think of “retouching” as a high-end photo skill for professionals—and it is—but there are also many types of retouching that every pho...

Episode 77: Photo a Day Challenge

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Photo a Day Challenge We gave ourselves a simple challenge to create one photo every day for the month of August. It’s advice we give often: shoot o...

Episode 76: Shooting and Developing Film with Angus Haywood

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we talk to landscape film photographer Angus Haywood about building his own darkroom in a shed behind his house, seeing the world in a squar...

Episode 75: Creative Garden Photography with Harold Davis

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The summer and fall are some of the best times to visit and photograph gardens, so we’re happy to welcome Harold Davis back to the PhotoActive podca...

Episode 74: Michael Kenna and His New Book 'Buddha'

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re pleased to welcome back Michael Kenna to the PhotoActive podcast. In this episode, we chat with him about his new book Buddha, how the COVID-1...

Episode 73: Real Estate Photography with Rich Baum

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rich Baum joins us this week to talk about real estate and interior photography, a type of shooting that relies as much on discipline and adherence to...

Episode 72: Night Skies with Glenn Randall

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Comet Neowise is streaking across the sky as we publish this latest episode of the PhotoActive podcast. How can you capture it, or any views of the ni...

Episode 71: The Exposure Square

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You may be familiar with the Exposure Triangle for determining exposure in photos, which is made up of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. In this episo...

Episode 70: One-Light Portraits with Sandra Coan

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Portrait photography can seem awfully daunting if you’ve never done it. How many lights do you use? Which modifiers are the best? Do you need a stud...

Episode 69: What to Print, with Rick LePage

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The last time we talked with Rick LePage, he gave us the basics of printing your own photos. We’re pleased to welcome him again as a guest to go dee...

Episode 68: Revisiting Geotagging with HoudahGeo 6.0

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With photographers finding themselves with unexpected time on their hands at home, it's a great time to update the location data in the photos in your...

Episode 67: Chris Niccolls on Making Videos about Photography

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re joined by Chris Niccolls, co-host (with Jordan Drake) of DPReview TV, one of our favorite video resources about photography. Yes, th...

Episode 66: Manual Focus Lenses and Jeff's New Luminar Book

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The autofocus capabilities in today’s cameras are amazing, so why would anyone buy a lens that offers only manual focus? Jeff and Kirk talk about si...

Episode 65: Barney Britton on the Future of the Camera Industry

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Camera sales worldwide have steadily decreased over the past several years, and now COVID-19 has thrown everything into disarray. Where is the camera ...

Episode 64: Creativity Is Problem Solving, with David duChemin

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Creativity Is Problem Solving, with David duChemin A few months ago when we invited David duChemin to return as a PhotoActive guest to talk about his ...

Episode 63: Sharing Photos

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Photos are meant to be shared, but with digital photos the options multiply. In this episode, Kirk McElhearn and Jeff Carlson look at several ways to ...

Episode 62: Photos App Extensions with Nik Bhatt

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Gentleman Coder Nik Bhatt returns to help explain a complicated topic with Apple’s Photos app: Photos Extensions. If you want to use another tool to...

Episode 61: Choosing What to Photograph

14 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A listener in the PhotoActive Facebook group asks a great question, “How do I choose a subject to shoot?” In this episode, Kirk and Jeff explore h...

Episode 60: Machine Learning with Andrius Gailiunas and Pixelmator Pro

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Andrius Gailiunas of Pixelmator to talk about machine learning and how it powers some of the features in P...

Episode 59: Luminar 4 and Its AI Emphasis

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve talked about several photo editing applications in the past, and in this episode we turn our attention toward Luminar 4 (and not just because ...

Episode 58: Rule of Turds

20 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At several points when recording the PhotoActive podcast, Kirk has said that the “Rule of Thirds” does not exist. Most books and articles about ph...

Episode 57: Remote Triggered

06 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time to step away from your camera. No, not put it away for the holidays—we’re talking about triggering the camera remotely! In this episod...

Episode 56: Considering a Second Camera?

22 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With the holidays and Black Friday sales upon us, this is the time that photographers can often get good deals on equipment. In this episode, Kirk and...

Episode 55: Photos App in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina

08 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Photos App in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina Now that iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina are out, Jeff and Kirk have some strong opinions on the changes...

Episode 54: Product Photography with Dan Bracaglia

25 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

How do you make product photos look fresh and interesting? Do you need a well-equipped studio? Dan Bracaglia shoots thousands of images of cameras and...

Episode 53: Focus Stacking

11 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You can control depth of field in a photo using narrow apertures, but what do you do when that’s not enough to get everything in focus? For macro an...

Episode 52: iPhones 11 and Semantic Rendering

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Kirk and Jeff both bought the latest models of Apple’s digital camera - sorry, we mean the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro. Does adding a third camera m...

Episode 51: Questions, Answers, and Geotagged Flowers

13 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We solicited photography questions from the great folks in the PhotoActive Facebook group, and now we have answers! All the answers. Or maybe just the...

Episode 50: Creative Black and White Photography with Harold Davis

30 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artist, photographer, and writer Harold Davis joins us to discuss his new book Creative Black & White, 2nd Edition, and we talk about the photographer...

Episode 49: Creating Panoramas

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You want to capture a wide-angle shot, but what if your widest lens isn’t wide enough? In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk about creating panoramas,...

Episode 48: Adventures with Dan Bailey

02 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer Dan Bailey is our guest this week to talk about his book FUJIFILM X Series Unlimited: Mastering Techniques and Maximizing Creativity with...

Episode 47: Jeff Becomes an Event Photographer

19 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, Jeff was the event photographer for the CreativePro Week 2019 conference in Seattle, a task that requires a different approach to making pho...

Episode 46: Pet Photography with Norah Levine

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of portrait photography, do you envision tails and fur? This week, we talk to Norah Levine about her book Pet Photography: The Secrets ...

Episode 45: Editing Photos in Desktop Apps

21 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Maybe you've used Apple Photos and are looking for more editing features, or perhaps you're in the Lightroom ecosystem and weary of subscription prici...

Episode 44: Minimalist Photographer Michael Kenna

07 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Kenna has been photographing for 45 years, and is well known for his minimalist, black-and-white landscape photos. Kirk took a trip to Bosham,...

Episode 43: Autofocus with Rishi Sanyal

24 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You rely on your camera’s autofocus feature, but how does it work? Phase-detection, contrast-detection, machine-learning algorithms, AF-C, AF-S… a...

Episode 42: Memory Cards

10 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Your camera stores photos on memory cards, but trying to understand them is a confusing mess of acronyms, speed claims, and marketing. What’s the di...

Episode 41: Bird Photography with Marie Read

26 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We’re excited to welcome Marie Read, author of the book Mastering Bird Photography (Rocky Nook), to the podcast. She talks about getting started wit...

Episode 40: Location Exploration with HoudahGeo

12 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Where did you take that photo? Nearly every smartphone records its position when it captures an image, but very few cameras do. In this episode, we ta...

Episode 39: Tripods with Mason Marsh

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many photo situations call for stability, and that means setting up a tripod. But the options when choosing one quickly become complicated: height, we...

Episode 38: Levels and Curves with Nik Bhatt

15 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We welcome back Nik Bhatt, of Gentlemen Coders and RAW Power fame, to pick his brain on editing photos using levels and curves: what the differences a...

Backups and 360-degree Photography

01 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We're tackling two topics in this episode of PhotoActive. First up, all-important backups! We emphasize backups all the time, but what does a good ba...

Episode 36: Photographing with Constraints

15 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of PhotoActive, we have some specific ideas about photographing with constraints. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge of...

Episode 35: Martin Parr Shot My Portrait

01 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For this week’s episode, we’re moving to the other side of the camera. Kirk had the opportunity to get his portrait done by world-renowned Magnum ...

Episode 34: Ben Long's Complete Digital Photography

18 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Author, educator, photographer, and all-around knowledgeable guy Ben Long joins us this week to talk about the 9th — yes, ninth — edition of his c...

Episode 33: The Language of Photo Editing

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When we edit photos, we have a good idea of what the Exposure slider does—it makes everything brighter or darker throughout the image. But you’ll ...

Episode 32: New Year's Photo Ideas

04 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What is 2019 going to look like? While we aren’t interested in making resolutions that are easily forgotten or ignored, we do have lots of ideas to ...

Episode 31: The Benefits of Digital Asset Managers

28 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Do you store your photos in an application or in specific locations on your hard disk? In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk about the advantages of usi...

Episode 30: Jason Snell Takes Control of Apple Photos

21 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to learn all about something, write a book about it. Or, to avoid yourself a lot of work, read someone else’s book about it! Jason Snell...

Episode 29: Christmas Gift Guide

14 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff and Kirk do their first Christmas gift guide. But they don't choose (much) gear. Hosts: Jeff's website (https://jeffcarlson.com), Jeff's photos ...

Episode 28: Low-Light Photography

07 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The winter months are dark for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, so how do you create good photos in dimly lit environments? Your camera wants t...

Episode 27: Flying High with Ian Schray and Drones

30 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In traditional photography, a great piece of advice is to “zoom with your feet,” or, move yourself closer to a subject. What happens when the subj...

Episode 26: RAW Power 2.0

23 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week we’re joined by Nik Bhatt, former developer of Aperture and iPhoto at Apple and now a distinguished gentleman at Gentlemen Coders. Using h...

Episode 25: Understanding iCloud Photo Library

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you use Apple’s Photos app on your Mac or iOS device, are you also synchronizing your images via iCloud Photo Library? In this week’s episode, ...

Episode 24: Manual vs Automatic Camera Settings

09 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We (good-naturedly) wade back into the question of “What makes a REAL photographer?” In this case, we’re talking about shooting using entirely m...

Episode 23: Printing Photos with Rick LePage

02 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Do you print your photos? Although we know we should make prints, but getting from screen to paper isn’t always easy. It turns out, though, that pri...

Episode 22: Editing Photos in iOS Apps

26 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve talked about using an iPhone as a camera, but what about as a photo editor? The iPhone and iPad have come a long way since the early models, a...

Episode 21: High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

“HDR” used to bring to mind surreal landscapes with garish colors and very few shadows. Fortunately, high-dynamic range photography has matured be...

Episode 20: The Blur-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The recent release of iPhones that improve Portrait mode spurred us to talk about bok... Kirk can’t say the word. That’s okay, because neither can...

Episode 19: Michael Rubin and Classic Photos

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Conversations about photography can lead to unexpected places. Although Jeff has known Michael Rubin since the days when they were both writing techno...

Episode 18: Katrin Eismann on Photographic Literacy

28 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Guest: - Katrin Eismann (http://katrineismann.com) - Katrin's Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/katrin_eismann/) - School of Visual Arts (SVA) Digi...

Episode 17: Prime vs Zoom Lenses

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photographers often focus on cameras, but it’s the lens that can have the most impact on your photos. In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk glass: len...

Episode 16: Buying and Selling Camera Gear

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a pile of old cameras and lenses stashed in a closet somewhere? Or do you sell your used gear to make way for new goodies? What about buy...

Episode 15: Time-Lapse Photography

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Time-lapse photography can create dramatic short videos - think about clouds zooming overhead throughout the course of a day or flowers blooming in se...

Episode 14: Chris Marquardt Goes Wide-Angle

31 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Photographer, podcaster, and author Chris Marquardt just published the book Wide-Angle Photography, and he joins us to talk about the time he took onl...

Episode 13: Aspect Ratios and Why They're Important

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Aspect ratios in photography are about more than making prints at 8x10 or 5x7 sizes. In fact, aspect ratio has been key in defining some of the best-k...

Episode 12: David duChemin on the Long-Building Vision

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Gear is good, but vision is better," says photographer and educator David duChemin. This week, we talk to David about discovering and developing that...

Episode 11: Selective Editing

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Most photos can benefit from universal edits to tone and color, but what do you do if just a sky needs to be made more dramatic or you want to add a s...

Episode 10: Quintin Lake's Long Photo Walk

03 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Long walks are great opportunities to bring a camera and make photos—but what about 10,000 km of walking? In this episode, Kirk and Jeff welcome pho...

Episode 9: Instagram for Photographers

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we turn our attention to something that often takes too much of our attention: Instagram. It's an annoying time trap filled with huck...